Jobs/Pay in Orlando (mortgage, student loans, relocating)

[kingtodd]

I'm new to the board - been trolling and reviewing threads in my spare time and wanted to get some input from the locals regarding pay and compensation in the Metro Orlando area as well as relate my personal experiences. I moved here from Detroit, MI back in 2005 quite simply because jobs had become so scarce up there and that was 3 years ago. I went from making 14.42 per hr to 7.50 upon my arrival here and was disgusted to say the least. i have since recovered nicely back near 40k a year but what I'd like to know is why in the hell are their so many low paying jobs here even for those who have formal education and/or tons of experience. I knew I would sacrifice something to enjoy the beach and warmth but damn this was a shocker.

Any comments and thoughts are more than welcome.

[kateuk29]

Hi. The ave pay here in the u.k is around $11ph, (more up in London, less further North) Take into consideration that for a 1 bed condo it is around $1200pm (out of London) and we have income tax which is around 17% + N.I, plus all state taxes etc... you do the math.
Id say 40k p/a is pretty good in comparison to your housing market (currently our mortgage alone stands at $2400 for a 3 bed mid terrace) & my hubbys basic salary is $22k)
And we dont even get the sunshine!!

[Crane's Rooster]

There are many reasons but some of the primary reasons are:

Florida is a right to work state. That's supposed to mean you have the right to work regardless of your membership/non-membership in a union. However, the practical implications are that an employer can essentially fire you for no reason at all. With that type of discretion, employers do not feel they have to keep up with competitive or good pay since they can always fire you at any time. Basically, hourly employees in Florida are easily replaceable so employers will not necessarily pay the premiums to keep good employees.

Florida's economy is not very diverse. It's no secret that we are very service/tourism oriented economy. As such, without as much manufacturing or intellectual product coming from Florida the median pay, and pay in general tend to be much lower than a more diverse economy. However this is changing, bio-med firms and technology firms have started to eye our state lately. The problem is, part of the reason these firms are now considering Florida is because they believe they can justify relocating here and paying their professional employees less.

Finally, we are still part of the south. Although it not as pronounced as other places, Florida developed much the same way the rest of the Southeast U.S. has. The problem is many people have relocated to Florida from other parts of the country and expect the pay scale to be competitive with where they are from. But you need to keep in mind that not long ago, Florida's economy and pay rates were more comparable to the rest of the the SE (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, La) than the Northeast or Midwest where most new Floridians come from. Unfortunately the cost of living here has skyrocketed past our neighbors without wages keeping pace.

[NYLATINQT]

You mean nobody told you the wages are paid in sunshine?

[Fnix]

Originally Posted by NYLATINQT

You mean nobody told you the wages are paid in sunshine?

Sunshine in Florida is an advertising ploy. We get more cloudy days then Philadelphia and we don't even get winters like them. I'm not saying we get no sun, we just get a lot of clouds from the humidity. Austin Texas gets more sunshine. I know this because I've worked in Solar Panel production.

[VaNative]

One of the things that kill me is...I see jobs listed for $10/hr and REQUIRE a four year degree! Who is going to go to college for a degree and accept a job for $10/hr? I don't have a degree and make a lot more than that.

I don't know what these employers are thinking!

[bdpop]

Another good question: how are you going to pay back your student loan on $10/hr. When I lived in NJ, over six years ago, I made around $20/hr with no degree (and gas was $1.40 a gallon then). Now, after I finish my degree and owe over $40k in student loans, I have a $10/hr job to look forward to! I don't think so!

[kingtodd]

Originally Posted by VaNative

One of the things that kill me is...I see jobs listed for $10/hr and REQUIRE a four year degree! Who is going to go to college for a degree and accept a job for $10/hr? I don't have a degree and make a lot more than that.

I don't know what these employers are thinking!

My thoughts exactly. It took me almost 3 years to get a fairly decent job. Another little tadbit that gets on my nerves is that they (employer's) want you to have 4 to 7 yrs of experience of such and such and then get mad at you when you say no thanks to a 10/11hr job. Give me a break. Makes no sense. Like I said earlier I expected to give up something for the sun/water but not half my salary.

[VaNative]

Originally Posted by kingtodd

My thoughts exactly. It took me almost 3 years to get a fairly decent job. Another little tadbit that gets on my nerves is that they (employer's) want you to have 4 to 7 yrs of experience of such and such and then get mad at you when you say no thanks to a 10/11hr job. Give me a break. Makes no sense. Like I said earlier I expected to give up something for the sun/water but not half my salary.

Hey Todd...from another Todd.

You're right about that...it seems that employers make the job requirements such that NO ONE can qualify for it. I have 3.5 years of purchasing experience at UVa and almost three years at my current job and yet the ads I've seen want someone who has experience in construction or food service or retail.

I think employers are using the job title of "Buyer" pretty loosely...kind of like "Account Manager" is really nothing more than a Telemarketer.

[bdpop]

Employers can be picky because there are so many people down here that need jobs. It's a situation of supply and demand.